CPR & AED Training on the Job: Fitness and Recreation Professionals

For fitness and recreation professionals, improving the quality of people’s lives is a daily task. But in an environment where activity can sometimes lead to injury, providing lifesaving emergency care may also become part of your job description. Depending on your specific job duties and the requirements of your employer, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training or automated external defibrillator (AED) training may be pertinent.

Knowing how to deliver these life-saving techniques can help any fitness or recreation professional be prepared for the following types of emergencies:

Water-related injuries

Swimming is a relaxing summer pastime and energizing cardiovascular activity, but accidents sometimes happen. In fact, according to the CDC, fatal drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths for children ages 1 to 14. When accidents occur, a lifeguard with up-to-date CPR training and AED training can perform vital lifesaving measures until emergency medical help arrives.

(Remember: if you’re dealing with an individual covered in water or sweat, dry them off before delivering a shock from the defibrillator. The shock delivered by an AED can travel through water and may actually shock you.)

Overdoing it

People of all ages and fitness levels participate in the activities and exercise classes offered at fitness and recreation centers. In the unfortunate situation that someone ”overdoes it” and experiences cardiac issues or breathing problems, the use of CPR or an AED may be necessary.

Playground injuries and falls

According to the CDC, each year more than 200,000 children 13 years old and younger visit the emergency room with playground-related injuries. Park and recreation professionals with the proper training and certification can provide valuable aid to an injured child in the time between when an injury is sustained and trained emergency help arrives on the scene.

The courses, provided through Health Ed Solutions, offer certification in first aid and CPR, as well as management of bloodborne pathogens and AED training – all of which can be useful, considering 75 percent of nonfatal playground injuries occur on public playgrounds.

Sports-related injuries

Sports and recreation activities are the leading causes of child injuries, and of death among children ages 19 and younger. Although the best way to avoid these injuries is by taking active steps to prevent them in the first place, when they do happen, coaches and recreational staff adequately trained in first aid and CPR can save a child’s life. In an effort to provide more immediate care in emergency situations, many public areas with high foot traffic are now installing AEDs; fitness and recreation centers are a significant part of this movement.

For many organizations employing fitness and recreation professionals, CPR training, AED training, or both are not only valuable skills to have among the professional staff; they may even be required for employment.

Health Ed Solutions available resources include courses such as first aid certification online, CPR and AED training online and bloodborne pathogens training online.

The information included in this article is based on the 2020 guidelines for CPR, first aid and advanced cardiovascular care. Read more about the 2020 first aid guidelines.